There is a t-shirt that says "Born in Maine, Living in Exile." I lived in "exile" (actually a very nice place) for 32 years, and returned to Maine in 2005. That's not necessarily what all this is about, just the only title I could think of at the time.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Friday Five: Coin Toss Edition

Songbird at RevGalBlog Pals posts:

Well, Gals and Pals, this weekend we'll be rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and that has me thinking about coinage.

(Songbird lives in the same state and country I do, and I'm not quite sure what she means by this. Oh wait -- self-employed clergy paying quarterly income tax, perhaps?)

1) When was the last time you flipped a coin or even saw one flipped in person?

I can't recall. I'm sure I've done it in the past; and it has been reported to have been done before the Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates, but they didn't show it happening. The closest I can come is the Scrabble challenge we entered a couple of weeks ago, when we drew letters to see who would play first. Since the Challenge pits two teams against each other over each board, a coin toss would have worked equally well, but in games with more than two players or teams per board, the traditional letter draw is the better solution.

2) Do you have any foreign coins in your house? If so, where are they from?

If we look hard enough we would probably find a Canadian coin, and I know there used to be some pfennigs. I think Onkel Hankie Pants gave away the Iraqi money and possibly Euros that he brought back from his sojourn in Baghdad and Amsterdam a few years ago. I did unearth a box recently, probably one that belonged to my late father-in-law, with several old silver dollars, Kennedy halfs, and an old quarter and nickel. They were all US coinage though.

3) A penny saved is a penny earned, they say. But let's get serious. Is there a special place in heaven for pennies, or do you think they'll find a special place in, well, the other place?

I have not always been respectful of pennies. But Teddy Gross is. Here's an article about how he tries to help charity through penny collecting. Teddy (or Theodore as he is now known) was my co-editor on our college newspaper many years ago. We had many artistic differences (he was more the artistic type and I was more for straight journalism) but it's nice to see that he carries on the finest traditions of A Host at Last University as well as continuing his creative work.

4) How much did you get from the tooth fairy when you were a child? and if you have children of your own, do they get coins, or paper money? (I hear there may be some inflation.)

I got a dime. A dime was a lot in those days; it bought two candy bars, for example (which probably didn't do the new tooth any good!) My children may have clearer memories than I, but I think we probably started out with quarters and ended up with a dollar bill. The last candy bar I bought cost about $2.50, then again it was one of those Endangered Species, organic fair trade chocolate ones; but I rather think even one of the traditional ones costs about 69 cents now.

5) Did anyone in your household collect the state quarters? And did anyone in your household manage to sustain the interest required to stick with it?

Not that I know of. We certainly took note of them and were mildly excited when our two states' quarters came out. But we're more stamp collectors in our house. We did get a solicitation in the mail for a state quarter collection that included some sort of philatelic tie-in, but were too frugal to bite on it.

Candy has gotten too expensive, hasn't it? I used to go to the Saturday matinee for a double feature WITH a cartoon for 50 cents and a lap full of candy was a quarter. I think Moses was running the country then.

I have a quarter ring pendant...it will hold a quartr (one for my state) and is on a silver Omega. Quite fun, but I dont wear it so much now.We are feeding studnets from nearby school. It is a great ministry!

Common Cents sounds a great programme. Thanks for the link. I think Australia is very similar to the US in the ferocious self identity of the States and Territories. They all had different gauge train tracks until the 1970s or so. One route was not standardised until 1995! I really enjoyed your play.

Two thoughts on coinage: Why does the Alaska state quarter have a Russian bear stealing an American fish? Is Sarah Palin the Manchurian candidate in this election?

Also, in an old dresser drawer from our new old house I found a 2-rupee coin from India minted in 1958. The previous owners being anything but the world-traveling type, I sure do wonder how it got there.

I notice those endangered species bars are kind of gritty. Maybe they have endangered species in them!!!I prefer the english chocolate for my falling teeth-which should be happening soon at the rate I ear candy.

Songbird, duh! I guess I should read the Tuesday RGBP post just so I know what's coming.Jan, um, this Teddy (not Terry) is of the male persuasion. Presbyterian Gal, my brother and I used to go to the movies with 50 cents between us, see the movie (and cartoon) and get candy as well! Of course this was on an Army post and was perhaps during Joseph's time.Emjaydee, you remind me of a film we saw in 8th grade about the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. (The A of C preceded our Constitution). The A of C was so loose that states had their own coinage, which caused trade problems for the lead character, a farmer named Tom Schuler. I don't know why I remember this. We do have the odd narrow-gauge railroad here but they are usually for special purposes.SonShineIn, maybe they bought the dresser used too? Or maybe the American tooth fairy had the night off and the Indian tooth fairy left this coin?Processing Counselor, my candy bar was a little on the gritty side because it had pecan praline bits in it.Thanks for all the comments!